Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

These stuffed shells are just a few simple steps (and few pantry ingredients) away from a warm and creamy dish of inside warming, savory goodness.  Serve them as a main course or as a side dish along with some delicious roasted chicken.

Author

Helen Park

Servings

6-10

Category

Main Course

Side Dish

Ingredients

• 20 pcs pasta shells, about 6oz or half of a 12oz box
• 1 pound frozen spinach, defrosted and drained to 2cups
• 1 pound cottage cheese, 2 cups
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• -
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 15 oz can pumpkin puree, we recommend Libby’s
• ½ tsp Espelette pepper
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup water
• -
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cook the pasta shells in boiling water according to package directions for al dente.Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water to cool completely and drain again to remove any excess moisture.
3. In a bowl, mix the spinach, cottage cheese, egg, and salt to combine well.
4. Stuff each shell with the spinach mixture.  I like to stuff them all first and place them on a tray before putting them into the sauce.
5. In a large bowl with the heavy cream, pumpkin puree, Espelette, salt, and water well to combine. 
6. Pour the mixture into a baking dish that holds 3-4 quarts.  I used our favorite blue pan.
7. Arrange the stuffed shells evenly into the pan of sauce.
8. Mix the cheeses together and place a small pile of cheese onto each shell.
9. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes, or until warmed through and nicely melted and browned on top.
10. Remove the dish from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.